2013 NCAA Convention

Social Media and Student-Athletes

Imagine the national evening news interviewing every student-athlete on the topic of the day. Well, welcome to social media, in which the lives of student-athletes can be treated like unending press conferences just a click away from that national microphone. What can campus leaders do about it? Some NCAA member schools answer with monitoring and restrictions; others with education and empowerment. Join this session to learn what works best for your institution.

Moderator: Dana Thomas, Associate Director of Social Media, NCAA

Five years of working on the NCAA’s public and media relations team helped prepare Dana Thomas for communicating Association messages in the social media space.  Aside from coordinating and guiding the social efforts, Thomas also helps put a face on the NCAA by explaining issues and answering questions on Twitter as NCAADana. Her entire career has been spent in college sports, including time at the Horizon League, also headquartered in Indianapolis.

Thomas is a former track and field student-athlete at Indiana University, Bloomington, from which she earned her bachelor’s degree in sports marketing and management.  She also holds a master’s degree in management from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Speakers:

Wren Baker, Director of Athletics, Northwest Missouri State University

Wren Baker was named director of athletics at Northwest Missouri State University in December 2010.  Baker provides leadership to 15 Northwest athletics programs.

The department has flourished under Baker’s leadership.  Upon arriving at Northwest, he initiated a restructuring of the athletics department that led to greater efficiencies and customer service.  Baker also orchestrated a compliance audit that led to sweeping changes that enhanced Northwest’s compliance program.

Baker also has spent considerable time on the external side of the department.  Northwest unveiled a restructured corporate sponsorship program, renegotiated its broadcast rights, developed an online apparel sales program and completed an all-school agreement with adidas, which is believed to be one of the most lucrative in NCAA Division II sports.

The Bearcat sports teams have also thrived during Baker’s tenure.  Northwest’s 2010-11 women’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA Division II semifinals and the 2011 football team advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals before losing to eventual national champion Pittsburg State University. The 2011-12 men’s basketball team had its best season since 2007-08 by winning the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association championship and advancing to the NCAA tournament.

Before joining the Bearcats, Baker served for five years as director of athletics at Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma.  Baker was the first athletics director in its history.  Baker also became the youngest principal in the state of Oklahoma when at age 26, he was named principal and athletics director at Valliant Public Schools in his hometown of Valliant.

Baker received his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 2001 and earned his master’s degree in education leadership from Oklahoma State University in 2003.

Kevin DeShazo, Founder, Fieldhouse Media

Kevin DeShazo is the founder of Fieldhouse Media, a firm that has partnered with more than 25 universities and athletics conferences to help more than 8,000 student-athletes build a positive online identity through education and monitoring.  He has appeared in various national publications and websites, including ESPN.com and The New York Times.

DeShazo also serves as a senior strategist with Smirk New Media, an Oklahoma City-based social media strategy firm with additional offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Kansas City, Missouri.  He earned his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University and his Master of Business Administration from Oklahoma Baptist University.  He lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, with his wife, Megan, and sons, Gabe and Noah.

Daniel Hour, Manager of New Media and Recruiting Services, University of Washington

Daniel Hour graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2007 with a degree in economics and received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Washington in 2011.  He was the UCLA men’s golf director of operations from 2007 to 2009, during which he helped find creative ways to use new technology to the Bruins’ advantage. In 2008, the Bruins’ golf team won its first NCAA championship in 20 years.

Hour left UCLA in 2009 to pursue a new role at Washington as the athletics department’s recruiting resources and services coordinator.  He was quickly promoted in 2010 to manager of new media and recruiting services.  His responsibilities also include overseeing football bowl-game coordination among all parties.